Engine-starter for automobiles and the like.



L. N. RIES & R. B. 'ALLEN.' ENGINE STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED 1ULY24. 1915- Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

@TATlE PATENT @ldldlhfihl.

LOUIS N. RIES AND RALPH B. ALLEN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

ENGINE-STARTER FOR AUTOMOBILES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed Jnly 24, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, LoUIs N. Rins and RALPH B. ALLEN, citizens of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engine-Starters for Automobiles and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to engine starters for automobiles and the like, and'has for its object to producemechanism for utilizing the force of an explosion in a cylinder sepa; rate from the engine of the car, .to spin or crank such engine.

Another object is to produce a cylinder and piston. means for charging the cylinder with gas, means for exploding such charge, means actuated by travel of the piston in one direction under the force of such explosion, to spin or crank the engine to be started, and means to restore the starting mechanism to normal condition after the force of the explosion is spent.

Another object is to provide a pump for compressing air and forcing it through a gasolene bath into an explosion chamber and for simultaneously opening a cock to effect escape of air as the explosive mixture of air and gas enters said chamber.

lVith these and other objects in view as hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and peculiar features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of a part of a motor car, equipped with mechanism em bodying our invention.

Fig. 2, is a top plan view of the same.

Fig. 3, is a section on the line I IIIH of Flg. 2.

Fig. 4, is a longitudinal section of a slidevalve forming an element of the mechanism.

Fig. 5, is an enlarged fragmentary section to show clearly the arrangement and double function of a spring forming a part of the mechanism of the invention.

Referring to the drawing in detail, 1 indicates the motor or engine for an automobile or the like, and 2 the shaft thereof.

3 is a casting or bracket mounted rigidly upon the frame of the engine or other support, and carried by said bracket is a cylin- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2?, 1917.

Serial No. 41,782.

der 4 provided with an explosion chamber 5 in its head. The cylinder is also provided with a discharge port 6 normally closed by a slide-valve 7.

8 is the piston for the cylinder, provided with a cross-pin 9 to which is pivoted the connecting bar 10, a retractile spring 11 connecting said bar with the cylinder and tending to hold the piston at the head end of the cylinder, as shown in Fig. 3.

A rock arm 12 is pivoted on a shaft 13 and is pivoted. at its free end to the connecting bar 10. The shaft 13 is a stub-shaft carried by a standard 1% rising from the frame of the engine, or it may be otherwise sup ported.

Journaled on the stub-shaft at one side of and adjacent to rock arm 12 is a ratchet wheel 15, and to impart rotation to said ratchet wheel a pawl 16 is pivotally carried by rock arm 12 at the point of connection thereof with bar 10.

The rock arm 12 is provided with a pair of lugs 17 and 18 for alternate engagement with a laterally projecting pin or part 19, of the stem of valve 7 Cast with the ratchet wheel is a mutilated gear wheel 20 having a plurality of alternately arranged sets of teeth and blank surfaces, one of the blank surfaces normally receiving or opposing a gear wheel 21 secured upon the engine shaft 2.

To supply the explosion chamber at the head end of the cylinder with an explosive charge whenever it is desired to start the engine, the following mechanism is provided:

22 is a standard supported in rigid relation to the engine and carrying an air pump and a carbureter connected together and to the head of cylinder 1. The pump consists of a cylinder a piston 24 therein, a piston rod 25 extending rearwardly through the foot-board 25 of the car, and provided at its rear end with a head 26, to enable the driver of the car, to conveniently force the piston forward.

The pump cylinder 23 is provided with a downwardly and forwardly extending nozzle 27, for discharging air into a small gasolene tank or carbureter 28, below the level of the gasolene therein so that said air as it bubbles up from the gasolene shall be transformed into an explosive mixture, and to conduct this mixture to the explosion chamher, the 'carbureter is connected by a pipe 29 with the cylinder, a check-valve E29" being mounted in said pipe and adapted to close as the pumping action ceases, and guard the gasolene from feeling the force of the explosion in the cylinder.

To effect the return of the pump piston to its normal position as shown in Fig. 1, after each charging operation, and provide for the exhausting of air or dead gas from the explosion chamber preliminary to each charging operation, the following mechanism is provided:

30 is a rock lever mounted on the pump, 31 is a spring mounted on the piston rod 25 and bearing at its opposite ends against the collar 32 secured on said rod, and the adj acent end of the cylinder and near such end extending through and bearing against one end of said lever 30. The other end of the lever 30 is pivotally connected by a link 33 to the arm of a cook 34: mounted in the head of cylinder 4.

Assuming that the parts occupy the positions shown, the driver starts the engine as follows: he forces the pump rod forward with his foot and thus forces air as explained, into the explosion chamber, the air being charged with-gasolene vapor. As the pump rod-was forced forward, spring 31 imparted rocking movement to lever 30, and the same opened the cock 3% to permit air or dead gas to exhaust from the explosion chamber to accommodate the charge of explosive mixture.

The pressure on rod 25 is removed after the exhaust of'the dead gases occurs, and the spring 31 immediately recloses the cock 34 and returns the piston to its initial position.

The operator next produces a spark in the explosion chamber through the instrumentality of an ignition circuit mechanism, not shown, except the spark plug element 35. The explosion which instantly follows the completion of the ignition circuit, drives the piston 8 and through the connecting bar 10 and pawl 16, rotates the mutilated gear wheel. In this rotation said wheel engages the wheel 21 and rotates the same and the crank shaft of the engine. The turning movement of the mutilated gearv wheel should be sufiicient to bring another of the blank tooth spaces of the mutilated gear opposite gear 21, so that the latter shall be free to continue rotating after it is unclutched or ungeared from the mutilated gear wheel, it being understood that the impulse given the mutilated gear should be sufficient to turn the crank shaft more than a half revolution.

Before the power stroke of the piston 8 is completed, the lug 17 comes into engagement with pin or part 19 and through pressure thereon, opens the valve 7. When the power stroke of the piston has been completed and the valve has been opened, the retractile spring 11 withdraws the piston, pawl and rock arm to normal position, and through the lug 18 of the rock arm effects the re closure of valve 7. lVith the parts thus arranged the operations described can be repeated for starting the engine again when necessary.

From the above description and drawing it will be apparent that we have produced an engine starter embodying the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of the objects of the invention, and while we have illustrated one form which the invention may take, it is to be understood that we reserve the right to make such changes in the form, proportion, detail construction and organization of the parts, as properly fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An engine starter, comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, a connecting bar for the piston, a rock arm pivoted at its free end to said bar, a pawl pivotally carried by said rock arm, a ratchet wheel engaged by said pawl, a power transmitting wheel rotatable with said ratchet, a valve for the cylinder, a lug projecting from the rock arm and adapted to effect opening move- 5 ment of said valve under movement of the piston produced by an explosion in the cylinder, and a second lug projecting from the rogk arm to effect closing movement of the va ve.

2. An engine starter, comprising acylinder, a piston therein, a pawl movable with the piston, a rock arm suitably pivoted and movable at its free end with the pawl, a mutilated gear wheel, a ratchet wheel rota- 105 table with said gear wheel and adapted to be turned by the pawl, one step each time an explosion in the cylinder imparts movement to the piston, a valve controlling exhaust from the cylinder, means actuated by 110 the rock arm to open said valve when the piston is operated through an explosion in the cylinder, means for returning the piston to normal position, and means whereby said rock arm shall effect reclosure of said valve 115 as the piston is returned to normal position.

3. An engine starter, comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, a gasolene tank connected to the cylinder, a pump for forcing no air through the gasolene and into the cylinder, a valve controlling an air outlet in the cylinder, and means whereby operation of the pump to charge the cylinder with gas, shall open said valve.

4. An engine starter, comprising a. cylinder, a piston therein, a gasolene tank connected to the cylinder, a pump for forcing air through the gasolene and into the cylinder, a valve controlling an air outlet in the 130 said valve.

5. An engine starter, comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, a gasolene tank connected to the cylinder, a pump for forcing air through the gasolene and into the cylinder, a valve controlling an air outlet in the cylinder, means whereby operation of the pump to charge the cylinder with gas, shall open said valve comprising a push rod for operating the pump, a rock lever, a link connecting the lever with said valve and a spring actuated by the pumping movement of the push rod to rock said lever and open the valve; said spring being adapted to reverse such operations and return the pump to normal position and the said valve to closed position.

In testimony whereof, we aflix our signatures, in the presence of two Witnesses.

LOUIS N. RIES. RALPH B. ALLEN. v Witnesses:

K. M. THORPE, G. Y. THoRPE. 

